authoritarianism

Italy's Berlusconi regime, already known around the world as an enemy of
free speech and popular access to the tools of communication, has now
floated a proposal to require Italians to get an "uploader's license" in order
to put any "moving pictures" on the Internet. The government claims that
this is required as part of the EU's product placement disclosure rules, which
is about as ridiculous assertion as I've heard this month.

"The decree subjects the transmission of images on the Web to rules typical of television and requires prior ministerial authorization, with an incredible limitation on the way the Internet currently functions," opposition Democratic Party lawmaker Paolo Gentiloni told the press conference.

Article 4 of the decree specifies that the dissemination over the Internet "of moving pictures, whether or not accompanied by sound," requires ministerial authorization.